Material Selection for

Unconventional Resources in
Saudi

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 Unconventional
Structural Challenges for tubulars

Tension induced by
ü Installation
Temperature - Fracturing
ü Stimulation
Compression induced by ü Production
Temperature - Production

Gas sealability

DLS (Bending / Fatigue) Burst – Fracturing / Erosion

Loads during running (compression, torque)

2 December 8, 2015
 Unconventional
Environmental Challenges for tubulars
Current Challenges in Unconventional wells:
Avoid cracking, minimize localized corrosion and scale formation:
• To achieve a cost effective material selection for South Ghawar (HRML),
North Arabia reservoirs considering the corrosiveness due to the high
amounts of CO2 (up to 14%) and the low H2S.
• To achieve an adequate materials selection for the Jafurah field that is
extreme sour with high amount of H2S and CO2.

Constant
Tension Load

H+

H2S

3 December 8, 2015
 Methodology
• Structural Design:
• It is assumed that the structural needs will not be lower the 80ksi and could
reach 125ksi in the north Arabia.
• Detailed string design can be provided to Aramco on a well by well scenario if
required.
• Material Selection to avoid cracking:
• ISO 15156-2 is applied for Carbon Steel & Low Alloy Steel.
• ISO 15156-3 is applied for Corrosion Resistant Alloys (CRA).

4 December 8, 2015
 INPUT DATA
Min.
ppH2S ppCO2 Flowing
field BHP (psi) BHT (°F) Temperature Chloride (ppm) pH(3)
(psi) (1) (psi) (2) BHP
@WH (°F)
North Arabia 0.445 490 4459 3500 274 120 2500 3.7
Harmalyiah 0.18 156 9000 2600 300 110 25000 4
Jafurah 288 50 7200 2500 280 120 30000 4

(1) Calculated based on maximum shut in pressure (BHP).

(2) Calculated based on Flowing BPH which is lower than the ppCO2 that were analyzed in the beginning.
(3) Aramco have provided the value of pH = 4.0 for Harmaliyah and Jafurah however pH of North Arabia was
calculated to be 3.7

5 December 8, 2015
 H2S Cracking Analysis
ISO 15156-2 Option 1 H2S pp > 0,3Kpa (0,05psi)

Min. Temperature
field ppH2S (psi)
@WH (°F)
North Arabia 0.445 120
Harmalyiah 0.18 110
Jafurah 288 120 C110 Q125 PSL3
TN 110SS/HS TN 125 SS
Due to the amount of ppH2S &
Temperature, those steel
grades shall be selected to TN 95SS/HS
avoid cracking TN 100SS/HS

Note: sweet corrosion is not analyzed yet

6 December 8, 2015
 Cracking Analysis
ISO 15156-2 Option 1 H2S pp > 0,3Kpa (0,05psi)

7 December 8, 2015
 Cracking Analysis
ISO 15156-2 Option 1 H2S pp > 0,3Kpa (0,05psi)

Unitensile Test. Method A

Constant
Tension Load

H+

H2S

Method “A” is a standard test, (go no go), used to determine the

performance of pipe in H2S environment under constant tension load.
8 December 8, 2015
 Cracking Analysis
ISO 15156-2 . Option 2
Intermediate
• To avoid cracking, sour service Non- Region
Sour Mild Sour
material shall be selected as per Servic Service
e
ISO 15156-2 Table A.3
• pH in North Arabia was calculated Severe Sour
using the water chemistry Aramco Service

provided. Harmaliyah
Jafurah
• Jafurah being the most aggressive
field in terms of H2S.
• As advised by Aramco pH = 4.0 was North Arabia

considered for Harmaliyah and

Jafurah.
field ppH2S (psi) pH
North Arabia 0.445 3.7
Harmaliyah 0.18 4
Jafurah 288 4
9 December 8, 2015
 Cracking Analysis
ISO 15156-2 . Option 2

30 HRC
Intermediate
field ppH2S (psi) pH Non- Region
Sour Mild Sour
Servic Service
North Arabia 0.445 3.7 e
27 HRC
Harmaliyah 0.18 4
Jafurah 288 4 Severe Sour
Service

• Assuming 80ksi, 95ksi and 100ksi Harmaliyah

22 HRC
Jafurah

materials are needed.

26 HRC

North Arabia
• Without considering CO2 sweet 30 HRC

corrosion TN 80SS, TN 95HS/SS,

and TN 100HS/SS could be
candidates

Qualification or
Note: sweet corrosion is not analyzed yet batch testing is
required
10 December 8, 2015
 P110 S Testing
Non-
Intermedia
Sour Mild Sour te Region
Service
Service

Severe Sour
Service
Jafurah
Harmaliyah
North Arabia

P110-S has been tested @ 90 % of AYS

•pH=3.5, ppH2S=1 psi (0.07 bar) @ 90 % of AYS

Note: sweet corrosion is not analyzed yet
11 December 8, 2015
 Sweet Corrosion Analysis
North Arabia ppCO2/ppH2S 1101
Harmaliyah ppCO2/ppH2S 867
Jafurah ppCO2/ppH2S 0.17
• North Arabia and Harmaliyah has a very
similar corrosion regime, therefore they are
going to be analyzed with the same approach

• Jafurah is the most aggressive field with

extreme sour service and H2S corrosion
regime.

M.Singer

Min.
ppH2S ppCO2 Flowing Chloride
field BHP (psi) BHT (°F) Temperature pH
(psi) (psi) BHP (psi) (ppm)
@WH (°F)
North Arabia 0.445 490 4459 3500 274 120 2500 3.7
Harmalyiah 0.18 156 9000 2600 300 110 25000 4
Jafurah 288 50 7200 2500 280 120 30000 4
12 December 8, 2015
 Sweet Corrosion Analysis
No standards for sweet corrosion

CO2 partial pressure: Rule of thumb for Carbon Steel (API 50’)

PCO2 < 7 psi (0,5 bar) Low corrosion risk

7 psi (0,5 bar)< PCO2 < 30 psi (2 bar) Medium corrosion risk
PCO2 > 30 psi (2 bar) High corrosion risk

• It is only a thumb rule and has been widely mentioned in the bibliography for gas
wells but also for oil wells.

• It has to be used for a first look of the possible scenarios

• It gives an indication of the limited corrosion resistance of Carbon and low alloyed
steels in sweet environments

13 December 8, 2015
 Parameters affecting corrosion and cracking

pH Water chemistry, oil presence and type

Presence of Sulfur
Fluid dynamics, solids
Temperature, Pressure
Possible galvanic
corrosion
Partial pressure
of H2S & CO2 Presence of Oxygen, organic acids

Total stresses Steel microstructure, chemical composition,

hardness, steelmaking cleanliness, etc.

14 December 8, 2015
 Sweet Corrosion Analysis
On the sweet corrosion resistance of C/LA alloy steels

On the sweet corrosion resistance of C/LA alloy steels :

• Carbon dioxide in the produced gas or oil can lead to very rapid
deterioration of alloys containing less than 12%Cr (Oilfield Metallurgy
and Corrosion, 3rd edition, 2004, Craig).

• Carbon/low alloy steels present a poor resistance to this type of

corrosion (Kermani and Morshed, Corrosion, Vol 59, No 8, 2003).

• The mechanistic understanding of CO2 corrosion remains incomplete.

15 December 8, 2015
 Sweet Corrosion Analysis
On the sweet corrosion resistance of C/LA alloy steels

q An industry standard approach for predicting CO2 corrosion does not

exist.

q There is no agency or association providing standard guidelines, unlike

the case of H2S cracking.

q Over the years relationships appear, trying to relate environmental

variables and tendency to sweet corrosion (or corrosion rate).

q The simplest ones are “rules of thumb” based on CO2 partial pressure.
Complexity growths up to models level.

16 December 8, 2015
 Sweet Corrosion Analysis
Dramatic effect of Cr addition in corrosion (sweet environment),

17 December 8, 2015
 CO2 Corrosion

Corrosion vs. Temperature

1,8
CS 1bar CO2
1,6 CS 3bar CO2
pH= 4 - 5
CS 6 bar Cl-•15000ppm
Corrosion rate [mm/year]

1,4

1,2

1
Areas under
0,8 analysis
0,6

0,4

0,2

0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300
Temperature [°C]

• For Carbon Steels (CS) corrosion rates reach a maximum at corrosion rate around 70 -80 °C.
Above this temperature, solubility of corrosion products (i.e.FeCO3) decreases and it becomes more
crystalline and therefore, more protective.

18 December 8, 2015
 Sweet Corrosion Analysis
North Arabia
Flowing BHP Min. Temperature
field ppH2S (psi) ppCO2 (psi) BHP (psi) BHT (°F) Chloride (ppm) (1) pH
(psi) @WH (°F)

North Arabia 0.445 490 4459 3500 274 120 2500 3.7
(1) This was used to find the percentage of NaCL

Min. Temperature Bicarbonate Estimated

Field ppH2S (bar) ppCO2 (bar) BHP (bar) BHT (°C) NaCl (g/l)
@WH (°C) (mgl/l) pH
North Arabia 0.03 34 308 134 49 4.1 n/a 4
North Arabia
0.03 34 308 134 49 46 86 3.7
worst case

q The following slides shows the results of North Arabia wells with the
old information and the new analysis including the water chemistry
that was shared recently by Aramco.

19 December 8, 2015
 Sweet Corrosion Analysis
North Arabia
• Estimated corrosion rate of TN xxCr13S at maximum temperature was
0.05mm/year.
• Estimated corrosion rate of TN 80Cr13 at maximum temperature was
0.27mm/year.
• TN 95Cr13S and TN 110Cr13S has the same corrosion rate though TN
110Cr13S might be limited by the SSC.
• Testing of S13Cr in North Arabia conditions is recommended in order to
confirm performance against SSC.
• SSC of TN 80Cr13 grade was ok in this condition however it is
recommended to perform a simulation test at maximum temperature for
confirming CO2 corrosion.

20 December 8, 2015
 Sweet Corrosion Analysis
North Arabia worst case:
• Estimated corrosion rate of TN xxCr13S at maximum temperature was
0.07mm/year.
• Estimated corrosion rate of TN 80Cr13 at maximum temperature was
0.37mm/year.
• TN 95Cr13S and TN 110Cr13S has the same corrosion rate though TN
110Cr13S might be limited by the SSC.
• Testing of S13Cr in North Arabia conditions is recommended in order to
confirm performance against SSC.
• SSC of TN 80Cr13 grade was ok in this condition however it is
recommended to perform a simulation test at maximum temperature for
confirming CO2 corrosion.

21 December 8, 2015
 Sweet Corrosion Analysis using CS
North Arabia:
• A simulation has been performed using the data that Aramco provided to try to
predict the corrosion rate of Carbon Steel in North Arabia.
• maximum CO2 partial pressure is estimated to be around 600psi.
• Assuming that liquid water is expected to be present from bottom hole this
level of CO2 may be considered to be aggressive for bare carbon/low alloy
steels.
• A classic API rule of thumb for sweet corrosion for gas well establishes a value
of 30 psi above which severe corrosion problems could be expected (20 times
less than what have been estimated for this case)
• This corrosive character is also reflected in the ECE software output (in the
following slides) where a maximum uniform corrosion of several millimeters
per year was predicted.

22 December 8, 2015
 Sweet Corrosion Analysis using CS
North Arabia:
• It is worth mentioning that due to the simple character of the ECE´s flow
prediction model, we believe that ECE’s liquid velocity estimations for gas
wells may generate higher uncertainties in the estimations.
• The prediction model used in ECE was originally developed to be used on CO2
partial pressures up to ~20bar (~300psi).
• Applying the model beyond this value may also represent higher uncertainties
on the prediction.
• Despite these possible source of error, is clear that the reported scenario
could be potentially aggressive for bare carbon/low alloy steels.

23 December 8, 2015
 Sweet Corrosion Analysis using CS
North Arabia:

*NOTE: The main purpose of performing this

simulation is to get an order of magnitude of
the corrosion rate and shall not be taken
forgranted due to the uncertainties
mentioned in the previous two slides.
24 December 8, 2015
 Sweet Corrosion Analysis
Harmaliyah
Flowing BHP Min. Temperature
field ppH2S (psi) ppCO2 (psi) BHP (psi) BHT (°F) Chloride (ppm) (1) pH
(psi) @WH (°F)

Harmaliyah 0.18 156 9000 2600 300 110 25000 4

(1) This was used to find the percentage of NaCl

Min.
Estimat
Field ppH2S (bar) ppCO2 (bar) BHP (bar) BHT (°C) Temperature NaCl (g/l)
ed pH
@WH (°C)
Harmaliyah 0.012 11 621 149 43 41 4

q Estimated corrosion rate of TN xxCr13S at maximum temperature was 0.10 mm/year.

q TN 95Cr13S and TN 110Cr13S has the same corrosion rate though TN 110Cr13S might be
limited by the SSC.
q Simulated tests are recommended to confirm performance against SSC.

25 December 8, 2015
 Conclusions of North Arabia & Harmaliyah
q String design has not been analyzed in those three cases however it can be provided on a
well by well bases.
q Depending on the structural needs, a summary of the recommended materials are listed in
the table below with notes.
q Corrosion rate of TN 8013Cr in Harmaliyah can be provided on a later stage if needed.

Recommended Material
80ksi structural need (1) 95ksi structural need (2)
field
Corrosion rate Corrosion rate
grade grade
(mm/y) (mm/y)
North Arabia TN 80Cr13 0.27 TN 95Cr13S 0.05
North Arabia worst case TN 80Cr13 0.37 TN 95Cr13S 0.07
Harmaliyah TN 80Cr13 TBA TN 95Cr13S 0.10

1. Simulated corrosion tests @ maximum temperature are recommended to confirm the

corrosion rates of TN 80Cr13.
2. Simulated tests are recommended for TN 95Cr13S grades to confirm SSC resistance.

26 December 8, 2015
 Sweet Corrosion Analysis
Jafurah
Flowing BHP Min. Temperature
field ppH2S (psi) ppCO2 (psi) BHP (psi) BHT (°F) Chloride (ppm) (1) pH
(psi) @WH (°F)

Jafurah 288 50 7200 2500 280 120 30000 4

(1) This was used to find the percentage of NaCl of approx 6%

q Carbon Steel:
q Extreme sour service material with sour corrosion regime.
q Carbon steel could be used to avoid cracking due to the
high amount of H2S.
q Relatively high corrosion rates are expected due to the
values of ppCO2.
q The use if inhibition + Carbon steel can be considered if it is
economically feasible.
q Candidate grades would be TN 95HS and TN 100HS plus
inhibition.
q Aramco experience in Ghawar KHUFF should be used to
define the MS under this high levels of H2S (Jairo Leal).

q Corrosion resistant alloys (CRA)

q As per ISO 15156-3 this environments is for CRA
materials (Sanicro 29).
27 December 8, 2015
 Sweet Corrosion Analysis
Jafurah
Flowing BHP Min. Temperature
field ppH2S (psi) ppCO2 (psi) BHP (psi) BHT (°F) Chloride (ppm) (1) pH
(psi) @WH (°F)

Jafurah 288 50 7200 2500 280 120 30000 4

(1) This was used to find the percentage of NaCl of approx 6%

Jafurah

Absence of elemental sulphur and no SSC or SCC.

28 December 8, 2015
 Conclusions on Jafurah
q String design has not been analyzed in those three cases however it can be provided on a well
by well bases.
q Extreme sour service material with sour corrosion regime.
q Further analysis can be carried on carbon steels option up on request from Aramco.
q Carbon steel could be used to avoid cracking due to the high amount of H2S.
q The use if inhibition + Carbon steel can be considered if it is economically feasible.
q Candidate grades are TN 80SS, TN 95SS, TN 95HS and TN 100HS plus inhibition depending on
the structural needs.
q Aramco experience in Ghawar KHUFF should be used to define the MS under this high levels of
H2S.
q Treatment of injected water should be considered if CRA are going to be used.

Recommended material
field
Carbon Steel grades CRA
TN 80SS/TN 95SS/TN
Jafurah Sanicro 28/29
95HS

29 December 8, 2015
 Conclusions
q All the analysis were done based on the information that has been received from
Aramco.
q Further analysis with more accurate data can always be provided to Aramco
when needed.
q Tenaris can provided more support related to string design and connections
selections.
q Tenaris is under Aramco’s disposal for any collaboration with regards to the three
areas of unconventional resources in Saudi Arabia in which Tenaris products or
services can apply.

30 December 8, 2015
¿Questions?